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NFL Picks

Way Too Early Super Bowl LIII Betting Odds : Guess Whose Favored?

The Philadelphia Eagles are NFL champions for the first time 1960. All is wonderful in Philly; even the cheesesteaks are juicier. But next season, according to early odds, one familiar team will wipe the taste of victory out of the Eagles' mouths.

With QB Carson Wentz coming back, the NFL odds should be favoring the Eagles to fly high again with a great chance to repeat with a thoroughly loaded roster. Right? Well, close, just not quite. Philadelphia comes in with the second-best odds, right behind ... wait for it (like you didn't know), New England -- the team the Eagles just beat in Super Bowl LII.

As long as some coach still prefers to wear cutoff sweatshirts and their quarterback is not using a cane when dropping back to pass, the Patriots will continue to be favored. Of course, a lot could happen between now and the start of the 2018 season, but there are early indicators.

New England will have two new head coordinators, which means changes. The defense will need better players for the Patriots to win another ring, and if TE Rob Gronkowski would actually retire, that would alter their situation and odds. QB Tom Brady will be 41 and, let's face it, he's not going to play better. However, after ESPN's Max Kellerman said he saw "warning signs" of Brady's decline after throwing for 500 yards in Super Bowl, how can anyone take him seriously.

Philadelphia will listen to offers for Nick Foles, but chances are, unless they are blown away by a deal, they might keep him until they know Wentz is close to 100 percent for Week 1. The Eagles' roster is the best in football.

Green Bay and Pittsburgh are almost default choices because of Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers' top trio, but both need dramatic improvement on defense to really grab anyone's attention. The teams with the most apparent upsides are Minnesota, Jacksonville and the Los Angeles Rams, all capable of taking next step forward. The odds for San Francisco and Houston look ambitious and are predicated on elements we saw, that may or may not carry over once opponents break down the films in the offseason.

Every other team in this grouping is capable of making a run at the Eagles and Patriots, but all have areas to shore up before clicking the "wager" button for early NFL picks. This is not something that is often readily apparent, as we have just seen with Philadelphia. The Eagles added several players last season that fit in perfectly, and it was not until November that people really took notice.